DVIDS – News – Making RCOH Watertight One Door at a Time

Sailors walk through them all across the ship, and many do not give them a second thought. Watertight doors are a critical component of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and many other ships across the world, ever since the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic modernized their use over a century ago . Popular theory of the RMS Titanic is if the crew had utilized proper current day procedure of its watertight doors aboard that it would never have sank in the manner it did, thus the flooding of the water would not have been stuck in just the side the glacier impacted it.

The Sailors responsible for refurbishing these life savers for George Washington currently practice their craft at the aircraft intermediate maintenance department’s (AIMD) light industrial facility (LIFAC).

Since the start of George Washington’s refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) yard period, these Sailors have been working hard to make and maintain parts for the ship and ensure the integrity of the ship stays in good condition for decades after it begins its second cycle of life.

“LIFAC is the ship’s self-help facility in which many capabilities such as valve and hose test and repair, refurbishment of non-watertight doors and watertight doors, ship’s calibration, and motor rewind are housed to support maintenance priorities for most departments aboard the ship,” said Lt. Adrian Ruble, AIMD LIFAC’s division officer.

In addition to simply being a storage facility for all of these parts, LIFAC provides a space for AIMD Sailors to create and refurbish these parts before they are re-installed back onto the ship.

“The benefit of maintaining a strong capability at LIFAC is the self-reliance that is created throughout the RCOH period, as well as the obvious cost-savings incurred by working our own components, especially in the current cost-wise readiness environment the Navy operates in today,” said Ruble.

Preventative Maintenance-14 is one of the many teams that call LIFAC home. Their work is key to furthering George Washington’s progress through RCOH.

“We have three main priorities: pumps, motors, and hoses,” said Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Joshua Drown, PM14’s work center supervisor. “We take the old hose, completely refurbish it and rebuild it, and then test it on a quality assurance stand with a quality assurance supervisor. Once those are satisfactory, we then send those to the ship .”

Learning a trade while working can have major bonuses for Sailors’ careers, livelihood, and eventually benefit them after their transition out of the military. Having the experience of using so much equipment makes these Sailors a Swiss Army Knife among their peers far into the future as well.

“Sailors at LIFAC are able to attend schools and perform work on components that are similar to the work that is done out in the fleet, such as aeronautical welding,” said Ruble. “[They can] utilize this skillset while [rehabilitating] non-watertight doors as an example.”

Although LIFAC is manned primarily by Sailors assigned to the AIMD, it takes teamwork from many different departments to complete their mission here in RCOH.

“LIFAC Sailors are sourced from AIMD, engineering, reactor, air, and weapons departments,” added Ruble. “The teamwork that has been established over the last few years within the RCOH period will continue on and ensure similar success for the next round of milestones.”

The Sailors working out of LIFAC play a key role in George Washington’s mission of getting back to an operational status and back out into the fleet. Their work ensures that George Washington will stay afloat and accomplish her mission for the next 25 years of her life.